14 Oct 2023, New England Fall Foliage Report
Greetings Leaf peepers far and wide! This first section will be the Maine write-up as Lisa and I just spent a day and a half there.
Well, Lisa and I went up to Mount Desert Island (Acadia) Maine to see what we could find. I wish I could say I found hillsides of peak color on the way up but that did not happen. I won’t say we came away empty-handed either. Case in Point:
This shot from the Jesup Trail in Acadia National Park shows that not ALL the trees have lost their leaves. I found that the woods near the Jesup Trail in Acadia National Park were a breathtaking sight to behold, especially after last weekend’s bout of rain and wind (I like the starkness of the bare trees). If you venture into this serene forested area during the fall season, you’ll be greeted by a landscape that’s simultaneously enchanting and subdued. (or any time of the year)
I have published my 2024 fall foliage calendar. This year I created my calendar with 12 scenic months of New England images. This will allow you to explore New England from top to bottom in all seasons. Also, on the same page, is my 2024 covered bridge calendar and a Winter in New England. Click the link on my calendar page to go to Lulu.com and view/purchase.
We drove up I-95 through Maine’s coastal areas till we got to Acadia (which is on Mount Desert Island) and once we got on the island, the coastal areas were spotty at best, and much of the outer areas of the island had bare trees. But if you go to the interior roads (Crooked Rd, 233 (Eagle Lake Rd), or Park Loop Rd/Carriage Road I found that there were bright colorful trees that were spared the worst of the last windstorm.
The Jesup Trail was something that I’ve been wanting to do for a few years. This short trail starts with a narrow boardwalk and ends at a junction but just ahead lies a dirt path that is very short but you will know it when you find it.
Being selective in your focus will give you some great images no matter where you look around New England. Let’s see what my photographer friends have found this week from around New England.
What has been seen in the past few days…
But if you want to keep up with who is finding the fall colors and where, then sign up for my newsletters which come out weekly.
New Hampshire
Chris Whiton of White Mountain Images says: I drove through Twin Mountain today on the way to Bretton Woods in 302 – still a surprising amount of colors on the hills around the Sugarloaf peaks, including plenty of reds – pretty, even. I think some spots up here may have color far longer than usual.
Joann Vitali Art Collections stopped in at Lake Chocorua in Tamworth NH and sent me a short video. Again nothing is perfect but getting there at dawn is very nice.
M. Jenne Photography submitted several shots of Littleton New Hampshire that like all the rest have intermittant color but when paired with the long walking bridge.
Vermont
John Rowe Photography flew his drone over Lake Willoughby on Saturday (14 Oct 2023) and he says that it is still providing some color.
Lake Willoughby, due to the warmer air above the lake, is slower to turn than the nearby areas and if you are still this far north Route 5A that runs alongside the lake could provide a good view or two.
Connecticut
Jonathan Steele Photography sent in this shot of Route 9 in Southern Connecticut.
Jonathan says: “Colors are starting in southern CT. Same story as up north, some areas very muted, some turning brown and dropping, some getting color.” If you head down to Connecticut, check out the Essex Steam Train which you can see in this video on my Youtube channel.
Rhode Island
Mark Spremuli Photography sent in this image from the Roger Williams Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular which can be viewed each evening in October.
I’ve been to the zoo and on my Youtube channel you can watch a spooky video of our walk through…
What Jeff thinks…
Okay, well we are halfway through October and people are still finding fall color in places I don’t expect to see it. (Thank you slow burn!) You should be heading further south this week into Southern Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts but… However, if you want to head north, there are still pockets of color here are there. The Cog Rail is still running along with the Conway Scenic trains. But check the image on my Fall Foliage FB page of Mount Washington covered in snow from this morning.
I think places like Alton Bay or Wolfeboro on the Eastern or Southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee are still providing some very nice shots. Down in Massachusetts, I’m seeing posts in our New England Fall Foliage Photos Group that are not looking bad. A shot in Sudbury on Heard Pond was very nice. And if that is looking good check the Wayside Gristmill in Sudbury as well (click here to see the mill in my Gallery) The fall color out in East Hampton is coming along as well.
I’ll get this out so if you are out and about looking, it might do you some good. Safe and Happy travels my friends!
You’re Always a short Detour from
Take a look at the map on their website and pick a start and end point. simply click on places along your route to add them to your itinerary.
There are tons of places that are listed from diners to B&Bs and activities to explore.
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Many people will say that they can do the same thing for free in Google Maps and this is true. But this is SO MUCH SIMPLER…
I’ve looked at it and find it to be of value to my readers. As a further bonus, if you sign up for their service, you can use this code BTR5QTP and take $5 off the one-year price.
This can be used anywhere in the U.S. and I think you will find it super simple to use. You can make a map with 5 waypoints for free so try it and see! Click here to try it out.
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
- Visit my Fine Art America Gallery
- Visit my Amazon store to pick up New England-related materials
- Visit my Pictorem Gallery (Free shipping in the US and Canada)
- My Facebook foliage page
- Threads.net/@Jeff_Foliage
- Follow our new Fall Foliage FB Group!
- You can visit Lisa’s Artist Facebook Page by clicking here
I have been reading your blog for more than a month and we came, we saw, and now we leave. Started on Sept 28 in Manchester NH, then went to Wilmington VT as we started up Hwy 100 to Burlington. Back through Stowe, Franconian Notch, Kancamagus to Acadia, Camden ME, Portland, and Portsmouth and that took 2 weeks. The best colors were in Stowe, Kancamagus, and the Carriage oath in Acadia. We basically stopped our leaf peeping journey when we arrived in Boston on 10/10. Thank you for your detailed and helpful blog! We had a fantastic time even with a somewhat disappointing show of colors.
Thank you Kathy, I do the best I can. It sounds like you got to visit some wonderful places in New England. I hope you got a maple cremee in Vermont (or a maple milkshake) and maybe a lobster roll while out in Maine… even though the colors weren’t quite as I had hoped, they weren’t too bad either… (IMHO) 🙂
Lets be honest. This year was a brown out. We were at these same places at the same time and it was as though everything was airbrushed with a yellowish brown tinge…. I had fond hopes of sharing colorful foliage with my family that has never been to New England but that would have to wait another year.
Meanwhile despite all the bloggers, marketers, media hype.. there was not one who called out the truth and let people know. Its understandable that tourism is a major source of revenue for this region but it was very disappointing to see that most of the “web cams in the White mountain”, for example, were all taken down in a strange coincidence…
I don’t know if you are or are not lumping me in with all the “bloggers” out there but here is what I’ve been saying:
July 2023
Now the bad news. I have been expecting the many different fungi to raise their ugly heads at some point this summer and it wasn’t a matter of IF there would be Anthracnose or Tar Spot (to name just a few) but it was when and how much will be affected. Right now my only report has come from John Burk about the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and I was really hoping to see a lot of bright fall colors out that way… Well, time will tell as to how bad it will be.
August 2023
Rain Stress: Too much rain is just as stressful as too little rain and we will have to see what the effect will be. in some cases, trees may just turn brown and drop leaves, and in others, the trees will develop Anthracnose or Tar-spot which are fungi that affect our trees in wet years. (I think this year counts…)
The BIGGEST question is how bad will it be?
26 Sept 2023
I wrote: As of this time, I haven’t seen any stunning fall colors from New England (yet). (Jeff says) I think there MAY be some early turning but much of it will be early stress turning. We should see a long drawn-out process.
My goal is to give you a realistic view of what you will see when you get here. I want your expectations to be realistic and since I don’t work for the tourism companies in New England, I’m a little more unbiased in what I say. I can also BE VERY WRONG!!! So take everything I say with a grain of salt. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! It will balance out somewhere between the two extremes. (Exploring 102 by Jeff)
So while I DID NOT know how bad it would be, I have been expecting the fall colors to be a tough find this year. I’m heading up into the Lakes region in a few minutes to see what I can find. I have made some good images this year but it has been harder than I like.
So while I appreciate that you are unhappy, I believe I have done my very best to set people’s expectations.
After spending 3 days 10/11-10/13 traveling through mid MA and all of Vermont north to south, I’d say there is either still plenty of color to come or it’s just going to be an off year. We were there same exact 3 days in 2020 and it was beautiful! This year it was some color but nothing at all bright color. Nothing. Lots of pale yellows and browns and still a lot of green too. Then there are the barren trees scattered around as well that already did their thing.
We had been to Acadia national park today. The drive was good, there were patches of reds and oranges on the Loop road, but the best we saw was at the Asticou Azalea garden off the bar harbour. Must visit if you are going towards Acadia.
I agree, I did my last recording there at the Asticou Garden. I caught the ducks floating in and out of the reflections of fall colors on the pond.
here is a link to my FB foliage page with the image. https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandFoliage/posts/pfbid02UfKDCvPhq9nmkmwRkETseccXf7XhARTf4pdVAKS1pYP189pJYPcbncirmP5r8RWvl
Appreciate your realistic reports Jeff.
Was in Manchester VT 10th they 13th.
Colors just not happening this year.
Definitely the toughest year in a while.
I would say since 2017 at least… (heat wave in late Sept to early Oct… Safe travels